Ongoing power outages in New Era is causing frustration among residents.
The outages started in February and residents are demanding answers from the City of Ekurhuleni.
According to ward councillor Lorna Beharie, the substation in New Era suffered a severe fire in February, which left residents and businesses in the dark while repairs were conducted.
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“The area, however, remains in a dismal state of disrepair.
“The building still bears the scars of the February fire, which gutted the electrical equipment and left businesses and residents in the dark for days,” she says.
Beharie said temporary measures are still in place and no estimated date for completion of restoration of the substation is forthcoming.
“The lack of will, or perhaps inability to effectively repair the substation means that residents and business owners in the area of Springs are under siege by the continuous power outages brought on by the poor state of the substation.
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“Businesses are growing increasingly frustrated as they continue to struggle to keep their doors open and many are threatening to close their shops due to the inconsistent power supply.
“This will ultimately have a negative effect on employment levels as well as a negative financial impact on the municipality.
“Residents are fed up, many have stated this is service for which they are paying and therefore the municipality is obligated to provide it,” she says.
Comment requested from the municipality was not received at the time of publication.
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